Algood To Consider Civil Plan Part 1 For Park

Algood City Council will consider Tuesday night the first phase of the civil engineering plan for the new Algood park.

City Administrator Keith Morrison said this is the initial phase to get the project off the ground.

“If we could get the entrance and the parking lot at least, and get some of that cleared out,” Morrison said. “Then work on getting the bathroom structure then we can move the playground equipment in at anytime. So it’s a potential this could be moving by spring to mid-summer.”

The plan includes eight pieces: Surveying and Mapping, Wetland impact, Site Grading and Drainage, Stormwater Plans, Site Utilities, Architectural Designs for a Bathhouse, Bidding process and Oversight of construction.

The site grading and drainage part of the plan will cost $130,000, according to Morrison. The oversight portion will cost $45,000. The remainder of pieces will cost Algood $84,000. Clinton Engineering set to handle the proposed work.

During Monday’s work session, Morrison said the city council could decide to hold onto the playground equipment purchased for Fantasy Park and use that for the new park.

Vice Mayor Bill Bilbrey asked why the city would not go ahead with grading and surveying of the entire 21-acre park. Morrison said the city wanted to create and pay for the park in small pieces.

“We don’t want to start enhancing wetland and then realize we’ve messed up and we actually want to use that piece of ground,” Morrison said. “Then we have to wetland back for an enhanced wetland instead of just a regular wetland. So, we don’t want to enhance too early and throw all of our uses away until we’re sure we’re not going to change it.”

Morrison added the comprehensive plan for the park was never meant to be a final guide to the footprint of the park. He said the city would use it as a guide that can be changed as the park is built.

Morrison said the city did not receive two of the grants for which it applied. An answer on a third grant is still to come.